All the Way Out of the Water

Picture a fisherman who catches a net full of fish, and then leaves the net in the water. The fish are still where they’ve always been. They’re trapped, sure, but they’re still in their old environment. They haven’t been brought into the new one. That fisherman hasn’t really finished his work.

When Jesus says, “I will make you fishers of men,” He’s calling you to do something all the way through, not halfway. A real fisher of men brings people out of the kingdom of this world and into the kingdom of heaven. Out of the water of money, fear, comfort, ambition. Into a completely different environment.

You know how a fish flaps when it first hits dry ground? That’s how a new disciple feels when they’re being transferred from earth to heaven. Uncomfortable. Out of place. Like everything they used to live for doesn’t quite fit anymore. That’s not failure. That’s the catch working. The Holy Spirit makes them comfortable in the kingdom they were made for.

So here’s the truth worth sitting with. Getting someone to pray a prayer is not the finish line. The finish line is them living in a completely different kingdom. That’s why Jesus paired “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” with “Follow Me.” The two go together. Don’t settle for fish that are still swimming in the old water.